Civicus, a nonprofit that monitors global civic freedoms, moved the US from the ‘narrowed’ to ‘obstructed’ category. Plus, the ‘gay wool’ taking over a New York catwalkDon’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.A coalition of global civil society organization s has downgraded the civic health rating of the US from “narrowed” to “obstructed”.What does it mean by “obstructed”? Countries where civic space is heavily contested – where civil society organizations still exist but state authorities undermine them, including through illegal surveillance, bureaucratic harassment and demeaning public statements.What’s holding up the European plan? Though a majority of EU countries support the plan, it has met strong resistance from Belgium. About £160bn ($213bn) of Russian assets are immobilised at Euroclear, a central securities depository in Brussels, and the Belgian government is concerned that it will bear liability for any seizure and face retaliation from Moscow. Continue reading... ...read more read less